george trotter

Aw shucks...you too Bruce...we love your work.

I see a little balloon with my name on it Bruce (I usually see these being pulled over the city skyline by a little bi-plane)...but hey, thanks for the thumbs up. I suspect you called my attention to this post as here again, we are seeing (it looks like) a very old blade that has been re-mounted in RS mounts for WWII use. Sure does look like a poss. koto blade...look interesting...worth saving for sure. how great it would have been if the RS mounts had survived with it...that's life. 26 in blade - 66 cm. A good WWII length.

Great stuff Mal, thanks for your great articles. It's all there Bruce...he used both names....I even had one years ago by Ishido Teruhide...but in those days 1970s, I don't think we even thought about tang numbers etc. Gotta love NMB and its members...

Bruce, Camera playing up, this is the best I could do. This is the Kunihide 98 you have on your list. The Kunihide 90 is a pic I saw on a 1991 NBTHK Hozon paper...but it is too vague to see let alone copy....sorry. The Kunihide 99 is just another one I noticed on some US site....didn't copy...sorry. The size, location, style was the same on all three though. Hope this helps. About the Mitsunobu/Teruhide...sorry, can't recall article now...any link?

Interesting. Are both of these gendaito? - yours especially Trystan looks RJT quality but with no mei - strange. Both in good quality fittings. Those RS mounts are the type usually seen on swords made in the Osaka-Kyoto-Hyogo region of the RJT scheme...my type (see pic) of "fat/plain/no hanger or chape type scabbards I have seen about 5-6 times....maybe intended for leather or canvas cover to have hanger loop? These made in same area). I have seen two (see pic) from Kyoto by Kunihide and both were August 1944 and both had small numerals stamped on the nakago mune...mine has 98 and the other has 90. The numbers seem the same size, position and 'layout' as yours - except these do not have the number '1' (smith's tally number?) stamped beside them. I know Bruce has a 'table' of tang numbers (I seem to remember) he has collected, so I think maybe this is one more mystery for Bruce - Sherlock to look into? (I haven't got a pic of the tang mune number on mine Bruce but just say the word and I can do one for you). Regards,

Well, Paul, Trystan, Dan...I've been 'into' WWII gunto full-on for 20 years and I have never seen an unsigned/undated RS. As your mumei example is "Gi" stamped Dan, it is clear it went through the manufacturing procedure according to the rules. So, interesting...nice example too. Thanks...again, with Japanese swords, never say never and never say always! Regards,

Gosh, just yesterday a RS with and unsigned blade was mentioned on another post...now you have picks of another one...amazing. In 50 years of collecting I have never seen mumei tangs in RS mounts and now ...2 in 2 days. Both mounts are 'low end' Seki RS mounts usually found on showato. Interesting. As they say, never say never with Japanese swords. Regards,

First unsigned (showato ) RS I have heard of...

Just on the point of "yellowing", I have not paid much attention over the years, but I don't think celluloid yellows? (need more examples?) I also don't know if celluloid same is a "upgrade" thing, or intro'd because it was found to be stronger and help prevent breaking of the hilt in combat thing. I have not really ever "assessed" celluloid same much...just some swords have it and some don't, but looking back through this post there is a lot of info/pics that should at least get the research started as to high/low quality thing or "intro' period in war thing etc, etc.. So I'll just add my own "bits" here (some have been mentioned in the above posts since 2011). So...I have 10 WWII gunto mounted swords. All except one are gendaito. 5 Type 98 - no celluloid....but I did have a Muto Hidehiro star Fukuoka 2602/2 1943/Feb. (med/large nodules - stamped on back of nakago mune ko / ho) 5 RS - 3 celluloid. Yamagami Munetoshi star Niigata 1943/5 (good qual. lacquered hilt/scabbard type - small nodules). Nakata Kanehide star Seki 1944/5 (Seki qual. steel scabbard type , 2 buttons, dust cover seppa - small nodules). Takashima Kunihide star Kyoto 1944/8 (high qual type from the Osaka/Hyogo/Kyoto region - 'rough' cloth? canvas? instead of same). Not sure if this tells us anything? Celluloid found on both types of mounts. All my celluloids had a star stamp. Nodule size varies Seems to start around in 1943?...more common on RS hilts? Regards,

Hi Baz, Yes, looks great, but definitely cellulose...no "cracks' between grains and moulded to fit right around to the 'seam' of each half of the hilt. Not sure it helps, but here is a close-up. Regards, Geo.

Thanks for that Moriyama san, I always just assumed it was Nakirishi as that what was said...so Meikirishi it is. For members not familiar with Nihongo, this means, literally: Mei-kiri-shi which means Name-cutting-person, as in the guy in the factory who sits there signing dozens of smith names all day. Regards,

Is this what you are talking about Bettina? I was given this cellulose same wrapped hilt several years ago...can't remember if I've posted it before...but this is what the "full" wrap type look like. Very good quality IMO.

Can't help much Bruce...I also think the month is GO (5). First I've seen of this star stamped arsenal signed tang. Sorry, G.

Ah well, in this case at least I have his name (Kume) rank (2nd Lt.) unit ("Kaede Div". (32nd Div. of the 2nd Army, Southern Area, consisting of the 210, 211, 212 Inf. Regt and support units) under Lt. Gen. Teshima. place/date of surrender (Morotai Is. 9/9/1945 to Gen Blamey Australian I Corps). So, just in case someone is walking past the Diet Library in Tokyo...? Kaede Div is the 'Maple' Div...as it says here (Yellow (Autumn) Leaves).

Yes indeed Thomas If we have the mon - which family name goes with it? If we have the name - which mon goes with it?

Wow! Steve...I'm amazed. This will take a while to sort through and at the end, there will now be so many mon that I will still not know which one was on my sword. But that's life - nihonto style! Thanks,

Dear all, May I ask a question on (I think) a "no-mon" family . I have a sword inscribed on the blade (in English) to 2nd Lt KUME. It HAD a mon, but was picked off before surrender. I presume his name is written using the two kanji I show here. Well, I have never found a "picture" mon for this name Kume....is it most likely that he would have just used the 2 kanji in a circle/oval on the sword? So just asking the mon experienced here...is there a 'picture mon for KUME....I have never found one. Regards.

Thanks all for the comments....much appreciated. If I have understood the replies: The star stamp only appears on RJT blades - this is as we RJT collectors knew. No example of a showa era Kaneyoshi blade is known. I am prepared to stick my neck out here (not having Matt's sword in hand) and say that this blade does not seem showa era to me. I FEEL this blade is an old shinto/shinshinto blade - possibly the 1780-1804 late Shinto - early Shinshinto Kaneyoshi smith listed by Stephen. I think it is the first non-WWII blade I have seen in RS mounts. I say this as: (1) the blade is virtually straight. (2) the tang is short and stubby, with 1 hole (3) the tang is undated (4) while the tang edges - yasuri, mei and mekugi ana are fairly 'crisp' I do not think WWII era crisp...more 1780s era crisp (IMHO). IMHO this is just not the sort of gendaito or showato blade usually seen in RS mounts...have a look at the pics...I'd like to hear members' opinions - maybe some more examples? and if I am wrong I would like to know. Regards to all...

Hi Bazza, I'm sure you are right...I can remember Japan in the 1980s and visiting Japanese 'experts' visiting over here over the years getting things "wrong". about good WWII gendaito..simply because they had no idea about the quality swords of the WWII period. In fact, the WWII corner was something most of them would not wander in to. Geo.

Very interesting Thomas. I have the book on RJT of Aizu and a sword by one of the Fukushima RJT smiths mentioned in it (Tsukamoto Masakazu - no star - 17/4 Apr. 1942) as being from a farm tool making family. He did study under his brother Tsukamoto Okimasa and Kasama Shigetsugu. Thomas I am sure many RJT smiths started out on their sword careers as farm tool guys etc, but I don't think the RJT scheme actually trained them...they were already smiths...they had to apply to join with examples of their work before being accepted or rejected. Those that passed became RJT. My guy Masakazu began his training around 1934-37 and by 1941 was back in Fukushima and was made RJT while there in mid-1942? I am sure many "strange" things happened in the official sword making system...."different" names, sell "on the side", etc, etc. but such things were "against the RJT rules". Reading through Nick's post, all 3 books substantially confirm that the RJT blade made "in the system" using "army tamahagane" will pass inspection and be given the star stamp. This star is (it seems) tamahagane confirmation/RJT made confirmation/ RJT quality control confirmation...so a "good thing" and yes...also army materiel confirmation. Yes, the star stamp is seen on many things, guns, spades etc, etc, but (to the best of my knowledge) only on RJT 'passed inspection' swords. Maybe an NCO sword owner can tell us if these also have army materiel star stamps on them? All the private sword making companies had their own inspection/makers stamp . Anyway, while it is possible that one of these dodgy makers made a copy of a shintoKaneyoshi blade...I'd be interested to know your opinion of Matt's blade's period? Regards,

Interesting Baz, Wish Matt (if you are reading this) would get in touch with an Aussie collector and get your sword looked at. Regards,

I think I once had a paperback reprint of this book "Heian Monkan" and it was very good, but no, it does not give the name linkages to each mon (if the same as the book I had). Regards,

NCO swords are not my thing, but I remember seeing 2 way back in the early/mid 1980s and both, owned by different returned soldiers, had gold painted scabbards - can't remember now if they had brass or flat steel tsuba. I just though these guys had painted them to hang them over the fireplace, but based on this info above it looks like they both may have come back from the SW Pacific already painted. Makes one think....might be a reason for it. Hope this helps....

I agree! A very clear and helpful progress through 5 basic needs the Nihonto collector must face. Thank You Ray.

Yes Thomas, all clear now.. So, love to hear from members on their koto blades in RS mounts...... Regards, Edit to add some thing I didn't mention about that page 196. This is that reading left after the two 'circle' (indicates Koto) Kaneyoshi koto 1400s smiths is a third Kaneyoshi smith with these kanji. This third is the 'triangle' (indicates Shinto) Kaneyoshi shinto mid-1700s smith - the third Kaneyoshi of these kanji. Stephen posted them above in English, this is just to clarify that they are the same info, just in different books.